On the 29th of January 2016 the project “Partnerships for quality and relevance of the ICT vocational education in Moldova“ was launched. The event was held at the Centre of Excellence of Computer Science and Information Technologies.
The launch event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Embassy of Austria in Chisinau, the Embassy of Romania to Moldova, the Austrian Development Agency, representatives of the education institutions, GIZ, USAID, EU Delegation in Moldova, ICT companies.

The project “Partnerships for quality and relevance of the ICT vocational education in Moldova“ is implemented by the Educational Center Pro Didactica in partnership with National Association of Private ICT Companies and with the financial support of the Austrian Development Agency  and the Romanian Government. The initiative aims at modernizing the training of specialists in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in the vocational education institutions and to develop an educational offer adjusted to the current requirements of the industry.
The project has a total value of 694 000 Euro and is implemented during the period December 2015 – November 2018. The activities will be focused on increasing the capacities of the Centre of Excellence in Computer Science and Information Technologies, established through the reorganization of the College of Informatics from Chisinau and changing it into driving factor of the development of vocational education and to contribute to the harmonization of ICT education in Moldova with labor market demands.
As a result of the project implementation, the Centre of Excellence in Computer Science and Information Technologies will become an educational platform, able to initiate and carry out actions in order to update curriculum for ICT specialties and significant improvement of the contents and teaching methods. The Centre will be equipped with laboratories and modern systems of management, having established a Department for Continuing Education, the Center will provide to 17 educational institutions – a technologically advanced learning environment, efficient training programs for didactical staff, and also useful resources for teachers and students.
Another main objective will be to strengthen the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Professional Education through providing assistance for the development of basic standards, organizational procedures and working processes. Also, implementers plans to carry out in-service training programs for teachers, to provide internship opportunities for students and didactical staff – actions which will contribute to the correlation of education process outcomes with the rigors and expectations of the private sector.
“We are convinced that through this project we will succeed to focus on the most valuable resources that Moldova has – its people and their education, which will contribute to creating more jobs and ensuring sustainable development”, said Mr. Gerhard Schaumberger, Head of Office of the Austrian Development Agency in Chisinau.

Thanks to improvements made through the project and effective change of the current process of training in vocational schools and colleges – young people enrolled in ICT specialties will be able to gain relevant knowledge and to develop practical skills required in the labor market, thus contributing to increasing their chances of employment and professional growth.

Coordinator: Oxana Draguţa